 A very good evening aspirants welcome to the Hindu newspaper analysis brought to you by Shankar Reyes Academy for the date 31st December 2021. Displayed here are the list of articles that we are going to discuss today. The first article here it is about the sudden downpour that happened yesterday in Chennai. So under this article discussion we are going to see the different types of precipitation, rainfall. Finally we are going to see the variation in climatical events because of the anthropogenic influences. The next article here is about the direct selling industry. So under this article discussion we are going to see what is direct selling and what is its status in India. And finally we are going to see the rules that has been recently notified by the government. The third article here it is about the postponement of Prime Minister's visit to UAE. So under this article discussion we are going to discuss about the significance of United Arab Emirates for India. Finally the last article it is about China's claim of Arunachal Pradesh. So under this article discussion we are going to see some map based information which will be useful for both problems and mains. So without any delay let's get into our discussion. Look at this front page article. This is with reference to the sudden downfall in Chennai which caused floods and left thousands of people stranded on the roads. So in this context we are going to learn about the types of precipitation and some basic details about thunderstorms and cloudbursts. But before that the syllabus relevant to the topic is given here for your reference. Please make a note of it. Okay now let's start our discussion. See first of all what is precipitation? It is defined as water in liquid or solid forms falling to the earth. It happens when continuous condensation in the body of air helps the water droplets or the ice crystals to grow in size and weight. So when this happens the air won't be able to hold them anymore. And as a result they start falling to the ground. What is falling here? The water droplets or the ice crystals they are falling to the ground. Under the force of gravity. Note that the form that precipitation takes is largely dependent upon the method of formation and the temperature during the formation. So based on that there are four common forms of precipitation. We'll see them one by one. The first one is drizzle or rainfall, snowfall, sleet and hail. We'll discuss each one of them in detail. Now the first form which is drizzle and rainfall. See drizzle it is a fairly uniform precipitation composed exclusively of fine drops of water with diameter less than 0.5 mm. Only when droplets of this size are widely spaced it is called as rain. Refer to the picture here you will get an understanding. So drizzle is nothing but fine drops of water with diameter less than 0.5 mm and rain happens when these droplets are widely spaced. Now coming to the second form. The second form is snowfall. When condensation takes place below the freezing point that is 0 degree Celsius the water vapor changes into tiny ice crystals. These tiny ice crystals grow in size and they form ice flakes which become big and heavy and start falling to the ground. This form of precipitation is called as snowfall and it is very common in Himalayan areas and mid and high latitude regions in winter. See here it is a picture of snowfall and dargling. Now the third form of precipitation. It is this sleet. Sleet is a frozen rain formed when rain before falling onto the earth passes through a cold layer of air and it freezes. So the result is the creation of solid particles of clear ice. It is usually a combination of small ice balls and rain. See refer to this picture here. It is a combination of rain and small ice balls. So how is it happening? It is formed when rain just before falling to the earth. It passes through a cold layer of air and it gets freeze. That is why there is a combination of ice balls as well as rain droplets. And finally the fourth form is called hail. See hail is the precipitation of small balls or pieces of ice otherwise called as hail stones with diameters ranging from 5 to 50 mm. It falls either separately or agglomerated into irregular lumps. Hail stones are comprised of a series of alternating layers of transparent and translucent ice. You can see the picture of hail storms in India here. So with this final type we have finished discussing about the types of precipitation. What all we saw? We saw about drizzle and rainfall where the diameter is less than 0.5 mm. Rain happens when these droplets are widely spaced. The second category is snowfall. Snowfall occurs when condensation takes place below the freezing point. Here instead of water droplets ice flakes fall to the ground. The third type is sleet. It is a combination of small ice balls and rain. And we saw why it is happening like that because just before falling to the earth it passes through a cold layer and it freezes. That is why the combination. And finally the fourth form is hail. It is the precipitation of small balls of ice with diameters ranging from 5 to 50 mm. So having discussed the types of precipitation now we will see the types of rainfall in detail. We know that when a mass of moist air ascends to high altitudes it cools down to lower temperatures. In doing so it attains the dew point which leads to condensation and precipitation. See dew point here is nothing but the temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated with water vapor. So only after the air attains dew point it can condense and cause precipitation. So after attaining dew point the cooling of air occurs mainly when it rises. There are three important ways in which a mass of air can be forced to rise and each of these ways produces its own characteristic precipitation or rainfall. The three forms of precipitation are Convectional rainfall, Orographic rainfall or Cyclonic rainfall. Firstly let's see about Convectional rainfall. See excessive heating of earth's surface in the tropical region results in the vertical air currents. These currents lift the warm moist air to higher strata of atmosphere. When the temperature of such humid air starts falling below dew point continuously clouds are formed. So we already saw what is dew point. It is the temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated with water vapor. So the humid air it is falling below the dew point continuously and as a result clouds are formed and these clouds cause heavy rainfall which is associated with lightning and thunder. This type of rainfall is called as Convectional rainfall. It is very common in equatorial region and there it is a daily phenomenon in the afternoon. Look at this diagram for better understanding of Convectional rainfall. See here because of the excessive heating the warm air is rising to the upper strata where it is falling below the dew point and condensation is happening. And as a result clouds are formed and when it is cooled further rain is occurring. These are called Convectional rains. Now moving on to the second form that is Orographic or Relief rainfall. Orographic rainfall is formed when air rises and cools because of a topographic barrier. Here the topographic barrier is nothing but a mountain or a plateau which causes the air to rise when their temperature fall below dew point clouds are formed as usual. These clouds cause widespread rain on the windward sides of the mountain range. Windward side is nothing but from where the air is rising and this type of rain is called as Orographic rainfall. However when these winds cross over the mountain range and descend along the leeward slopes they get warm and cause only little rainfall. So the region lying on the leeward side of the mountain receiving little rain is called as Rain Shadow area. A famous example of Orographic rainfall is Chirapunji on the southern margin of Kasi Hills in Mehalaya. Look at this picture here because of this topographic barrier the moist air is rising where it falls below the dew point and cloud is formed and when it is further cooled precipitation is occurring. And when this air mass moves to the leeward side that is to the descending side it loses its moisture and it causes only a little rainfall here. This whole phenomenon is called the Orographic rainfall. Finally the third form of rainfall is called as Cyclonic rainfall. It is produced where air currents converge and rise. In tropical regions where opposing air currents have comparable temperatures the lifting is more or less vertical and is usually accompanied by convection. There is nothing but the rising of air and where it falls below dew point and precipitation happens. So this convection activity frequently occurs along the fronts where the temperature of the air masses concerned are quite different. We will see them in detail. Mixing of air along the front also probably contributes to condensation and therefore to the frontal rainfall. When two large air masses of different densities and temperature meet the warmer moist air mass is lifted above the colder one. When this happens the rising warm air mass condenses to form clouds which can cause extensive downpour. Downpour is nothing but precipitation. This rainfall is associated with thunder and lightning. This type of rainfall is also called as frontal rainfall because it is associated with both warm and cold fronts. That is warm and cold air masses. It is generally steady and may persist for a whole day or even longer. Look at this picture here. It is the diagram of frontal rainfall. Two different air masses of different temperature are converging here. Warm air is rising above the cold air and it condenses forming clouds and rain. So with this we have finished seeing the types of rainfall. Now we will see about cloud burst and thunderstorms. What is a thunderstorm? See the rising temperatures produce strong upward rising winds. These winds carry water droplets upwards where they freeze and fall down again. This swift movement of the falling water droplets along with the rising air create lightning and thunder and that is why it is called as a thunderstorm. So it is nothing but the swift movement of falling water droplets along with rising air which creates lightning and thunder. Now we will see about cloud burst. See cloud burst is a sudden very heavy rainfall usually local in nature for a brief duration. That is a very short duration. Most cloud bursts occur in connection with thunderstorms. In these storms there are violent up pressures of air which at times prevent the condensing rain drops falling to the ground. So what is happening here? Violent up pressures of air they are preventing the condensing water droplets falling to the earth. So as a result a large amount of water accumulates at high levels and at a point when these upward currents are weakened the whole of this water falls at one time. Cloud bursts are especially common in mountainous areas. This is probably because the warm air currents of a thunderstorm tend to follow the upward slope of a mountain and the effects of the heavy rain are especially striking on mountain slopes because the falling water is concentrated in valleys and gullies. Mountain cloud bursts cause sudden and destructive floods. The intensity of the rainfall is severe here. Look at this figure of a cloud burst. Now we will see about some of the facts regarding the rainfall distribution and variability. See the average rainfall experienced in the Indian subcontinent annually is around 120 centimetre. But there is a high variation in rainfall within India. Particularly, northeast India receive high rainfall than the west and so on. See our Indian Meteorological Department i.e. IMD has carried out an analysis of observed monsoon rainfall variability and changes of the states and union territory at state and district levels. It is based on the observational data of recent 30 years i.e. from 1989 to 2018. Based on the available climate records, the report says that the surface air temperature over the Indian subcontinent has been raised by about 0.7 degree Celsius during 1901 to 2018 which is accompanied with an increase in atmospheric moisture content. The sea surface temperature in the tropical Indian Ocean have also increased by 1 degree Celsius during 1951 to 2015. There are clear signatures of human induced changes in climate have emerged over Indian region on the account of anthropogenic greenhouse gases and changes in land use and land cover. And these are the factors that have contributed to an increase in the climatic extremes. These complex interactions between the earth system components amidst the warming environment and the regional anthropogenic influences have therefore led to a rise in frequency of localized heavy rainfall events drought and flood occurrences. So what we can infer from this is because of the global warming and the regional anthropogenic influences there is a rise in frequency of localized heavy rainfall events. It also increased the intensity of tropical cyclones in the last few decades. Also recent studies by Indian scientists revealed that trends in sea level rise are estimated to be 1.3 mm per year along the Indian coasts during the last 40 to 50 years. So with this we have come to the end of our discussion. Let's have a quick recap. What all we saw in this discussion we saw the different types of precipitation. The first one is drizzle and rain which is composed of fine drops of water with diameter less than 0.5 mm and rain occurs when these droplets are widely spaced. The second type is snowfall. This happens when condensation takes place below the freezing point. Third type is sleet. It is a combination of ice balls and rain. Why is it like that? Because just before falling to the earth surface the rain droplets they are passing through a cold layer of air and it gets freeze. And finally the fourth type is hail. It is the precipitation of small balls of ice otherwise called as hail stones with diameters ranging from 5 to 50 mm. And after that we saw about different types of rainfall. The first one is convectional rainfall where because of the excess of heating of the land mass the moist air rises to the upper strata of the atmosphere where it falls below the dew point and after further cooling the precipitation happens. The second type is orographic or relief rainfall. Here the air mass is raised because of the topographic barrier which is nothing but a mountain or a relief. So here two important points are there. One is the condensation mostly happens in the windward side. When the clouds move to the leeward side it loses its moisture and causes only little rainfall. And finally we saw about cyclonic rainfall. Here it involves two different air masses with different temperatures. Warm air rises above the cold air where it falls below the dew point and forms cloud and after further condensation downpour happens. It is mostly associated with thunder and lightning. And this type of rainfall is also called as frontal rainfall. And after that we saw about thunderstorm which is nothing but the swift movement of falling water droplets along with the rising air creating lightning and thunder. And we moved on to see about cloud burst. It is nothing but sudden downpour of accumulated water at high levels. Why the water is getting accumulated at high levels? We saw that the violent up pressures of air prevents the condensed droplets from falling to the ground. So because of that the accumulation happens and when these upward currents are weakened all of this water falls at one time. It is especially common in mountainous areas and the intensity of rainfall is severe here. And finally we saw about rainfall distribution and variability in Indian subcontinent and we saw that the reason for the rise in frequency of localized heavy rainfall events is global warming and regional anthropogenic influences. With these learnt points in mind let's move on to the next article discussion. Now look at this article. This news article talks about the recently notified consumer protection direct selling rules 2021. See this rules 2021 which is the consumer protection direct selling rules were notified by the government on December 28, 2021. And through this the government prohibited all direct selling entities such as Amway, Tupperware, Oriflame, Modicare from promoting permit schemes or money circulation schemes. Apart from this the rules also provided a mechanism for redressing consumer complaints. Players who engage in direct selling have been given 90 days to comply with the rules. So in this context we'll understand what is direct selling and we shall also see some of the important points mentioned in the article. But before that the syllabus relevant to the topic is given here, please go through it. First of all, what is direct selling? It is nothing but the selling of products directly to the consumers in a non-retail environment. Instead of the sales happening in a retail environment like a departmental store or supermarket here in direct selling sales occur at home, workplace, online or other non-store locations. So to put it in simple words instead of using a retail location goods or services are directly sold to consumers through direct sellers who function as individual agents of these direct selling companies. Now we shall see how big is this Indian direct selling industry. As per a report by Indian direct selling association it has said that Indian direct selling industry has grown about 28% in 2019-20 when compared to 2018-19. See I have given here in this image about IDSA which is Indian direct selling association. Please go through it. Now coming back to the report. As per the latest data available the Indian direct selling industry stood at around 167,762 million rupees in 2019-20 as compared to 1,30,800 million rupees in 2018-19. So from this we can say that the growth is 28%. The two big categories in the direct selling industry are wellness and nutraceuticals and cosmetics and personal care. Wellness and nutraceuticals accounted for 57% of the sales followed by cosmetics and personal care which contributed 22% to the sales. According to the IDSA data the number of active direct sellers in the country was around 5.7 million in the year 2018-19 and it climbed to over 7.4 million in the year 2019-20 with nearly equal numbers of male and female direct sellers. So far we saw about the data in the report. Now let us see to whom does the rule supply. See these rules apply on all models of direct selling and all goods and services bought and sold through direct selling. So it applies to all models and all goods and services that are bought and sold through direct selling. Even direct selling entities that are not based in India but sell goods or services to Indian customers must follow the newly notified rules. Now let us see why the rules have been notified now. See the consumers affairs ministry had issued direct selling guidelines 2016. They had issued it for preventing fraud and protecting consumer interest. But however these were not legally binding. With powers conferred by the introduction of Consumer Protection Act 2019 the ministry has now notified the consumer protection direct selling rules 2021. These rules are largely in line with the earlier guidelines with a few additional compliance requirements. Now let us see what does the rules actually say. Firstly every direct selling company operating in India must be registered in the country and it should have at least one physical location in the country as its registered office. The entities must make a self declaration that they are following the rules and are not involved in any Prameet or money circulation schemes. Now you will wonder what is this Prameet or money circulation scheme. We will see them. See rather than expanding earnings by selling genuine products and services a Prameet scheme promises investors rewards for bringing more investors into the organization. Let me explain as the name itself hints the scheme works like a Prameet. So in this scheme recruits make up the base of the Prameet and provide the funding or the so called returns in the form of new money outlays to the earlier investors or the recruits structured above them in the scheme. So it is nothing but it is a form of investment in which each paying participant recruits more participants who form the base of the Prameet and based on the returns from those participants who are on the base of the Prameet the money is given to the early participants using the money which is contributed by the participants in the base. So this Prameet scheme does not usually involve when the selling of the products rather it relies on the constant inflow of money from the additional investors. See the issue here is as the recruiting multiplies recruiting becomes quickly impossible and most members are unable to profit. This is the reason why Prameet schemes are unsustainable and often illegal. Now coming back to the rules see the direct selling entities are required to store sensitive personal data within India and take steps to ensure the protection of such data. So this is one of the rules moving on to the next rule further in order to provide a redressal mechanism for consumers the rules require direct selling firms to select one or more grievance redressal officers these officers are required to put up their details such as name, telephone number and email address on their website. The grievance redressal officer will need to acknowledge the receipt of any consumer complaint within 48 working hours and redress the complaint within a month. In case of delay they will need to inform in writing the reasons for delay. Each direct selling company would need to select a nodal person who will be in charge of ensuring that the acts obligations are followed. Moving on a direct selling business or a direct seller may not refuse to accept spurious goods or deficit services for written unrefined nor may they charge consumers an entry fee or a subscription fee. They also can't persuade consumers to buy something based on the promise that they can lower or recover the cost by recommending customers to direct sellers for similar purchases. So these are the rules provided under the direct selling rules 2021. See these rules also provide for monitoring to ensure compliance every state government will set up a mechanism to monitor or supervise the activities of direct sellers and direct selling entities. So this is the monitoring mechanism. We will see what is the response of the industry that is the direct selling industry. They say that the rules will bring much needed clarity for the sector which has been dealing with a lot of speculations and allegations particularly with regards to promotion of Prameet schemes. According to them that is the industry the rules give the business the needed and it also safeguards customers against Prameet and money laundering schemes. And finally they also help attract more foreign direct investment that is FDI. With this we have come to the end of our discussion. We will have a quick recap. What all we saw today? We saw about direct selling. It is nothing but selling of products directly to the consumers instead of selling in a retail environment that is departmental store or supermarket. We saw about the data in the report by Indian Direct Selling Association that is IDSA. And according to the report the Indian direct selling industry has grown about 28% in the year 2019-20 compared to the previous year which is 2018-19. And the rules it applies to all models of direct selling and all goods and services bought and sold through direct selling. It also extends to the entities which are not based in India but sell their goods or services to Indian consumers. And we saw some of the important provisions of the rules that is it should be registered in the country, it should have one physical location as it is registered office and it should store the sensitive personal data within India and it should have a retrosal mechanism for consumers and it should be addressed within a month. In case of delay it should be informed to the consumers in writing and finally we saw that the direct selling business may not refuse to accept the deficient services for return and refund. They also can't persuade consumers to buy something on the promise that they can lower or recover the cost. The rules also provide for a monitoring mechanism and finally we saw the significance of the rules that it gives the business the needed respect, it safeguards consumers against prominent money circulation schemes and it helps attract more FDI. With these key takeaway points let's move on to the next article discussion. See this article here it says that the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi's visit to Abhidhabi and Dubai next week has been postponed due to a sudden spike in Omicron cases. This visit is notable because India and the UAE were expected to announce a limited free trade agreement during this visit. So in this backdrop let us quickly brush through the significance of UAE that is the United Arab Emirates to India. See the first significance is investment. UAE is India's third largest trading partner after United States and China. It not only serves as a major trade partner but also as a valuable source of foreign direct investment. The UAE's investments have surpassed 9 billion dollar making it India's 10th largest source of FDI. Both government and business leaders see huge untapped potential in India and have a strong desire to invest in India. This will assist India in achieving or developing into a 5 trillion dollar economy far sooner. The second significance is advanced technology and knowledge economy. See because of its human capital, talent pool the UAE believes India to be the world's fastest growing market opportunity. And the UAE being a hub of cutting edge technologies is natural partners in the field of artificial intelligence. If they collaborate with India innovation will be stimulated, jobs will be created and the Indian economy as a whole will be benefited. Thirdly, space cooperation. Space is the next frontier for gaining power and achieving prosperity. Both UAE and India can collaborate and tap the potential in the sector. Fourthly, integration of Gulf Indian Ocean security. Because of its location UAE is considered as a key area in ensuring security of the region. So for all these reasons UAE is considered as a significant partner of India. So with this we have come to the end of a discussion let's see what all we discussed so far. We saw the significance of UAE in investment and we saw that India's third largest trading partner after US and China as UAE and UAE's investments have surpassed $10 billion making it India's 10th largest source of FDI. The second significance is advanced technology and knowledge economy. Under that we saw that UAE being rich in human capital sees India as a fast growing market opportunity. And thirdly we saw about space cooperation and finally we saw about the UAE's significance with regards to Gulf Indian Ocean security. So with these key takeaway points let's move on to the next article. Look at this article. This is with reference to China's attempt to name 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh. Indian Ministry of External Affairs reacted to this move by saying that Beijing does not alter the fact that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India. In this context we'll see some of the important map based information about China. So under this article discussion we are going to see entirely about map based facts which can be used in your mains answer and also it'll be useful for you in your prilims. Okay now let's get into our discussion. See India it shares 3488 kilometers of border with China that runs along Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. You can see the boundary in this image. Line of axial control and MacMohan line are the demarcations that separates India and China. See when it comes to line of axial control it has not been fully approved by both the countries but India recognizes the MacMohan line while China does not recognize that. You can see in the map the disputed area between India and China. First in the western sector it is the Ladakh. Secondly in the eastern sector it is Arunachal Pradesh. See in the western sector China occupies 38000 square kilometer Indian territory that is Akshay Chin. It also takes climbs on Arunachal Pradesh. See this eastern sector it consists of two distinct segments separated by bouton in between. The first one Sikkim-Tibet border leads to the west and the Arunachal Pradesh-Tibet border along the disputed MacMohan line to the east of bouton. It was this expansionist policy that led to the reason clashes between PLA and the Indian army. It is not just with India. China has border disputes with 18 other countries. We will see some of the examples. See take the region of South China Sea. The east Asian countries, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and China, they have disputes over the contentious South China Sea region for centuries. The two primary points of contention are the Spratly Islands and the Parasail Islands in the South China Sea. Note that the Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan also have claims in South China Sea. The permanent court of arbitration PCA in the Hague has ruled against the climb of China. It is said that China's climbs of historical rights over the South China Sea has no legal basis. Coming back to Indian perspective, now we will see another important concept that is string of pearls. See it refers to a geopolitical theory to the network of Chinese intentions in Indian Ocean region. Precisely, it refers to the network of Chinese military and commercial facilities developed by China in countries falling on the Indian Ocean between the Chinese mainland and Port Sudan. According to this, China has the presence in Myanmar's Kyakpo Port and the Port of Chittagang in Bangladesh. It gives a station to be used in the heart of the Bay of Bengal which is a major concern for India. China also developed a port, Hambantota in Sri Lanka. The Gwadar port developed by China in Pakistan for the commercial purpose has also the intention of asserting its power in the Indian Ocean region. China also have a powerful presence on the African coast of Indian Ocean i.e. in Sudan and Kenya and it is now building a military base in Dijbauti. With these informations, we have come to the end of our discussion. You can use all of these information and maps in your mains answer and it will help you in prilims if a map based question is asked. So with these points in mind let's move on to the next part of our discussion. Here I have given some practice prilims questions. You try to solve them. I'll also solve them one by one. So the first question, Persian Gulf borders with which of the following countries? 1. Bahrain 2. Iran 3. United Arab Emirates 4. Iraq 5. Kuwait Which of the statements given about are correct? So see this map here from this we can safely say that the countries that surround the Persian Gulf are Bahrain Iran Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates. So from this we know that all the five countries given in this question borders with the Persian Gulf. So the correct option here is C, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Moving on to the next question China has borders with which of the following states or union territories? Ladakh Himachal Pradesh Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh Uttar Pradesh. So which of the following statements given about are correct? So see the map here from this it is easy to identify that the states and union territories which border with China are Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh Uttar Khan, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. So in this question in the fifth option it is given as Uttar Pradesh. So this one is wrong. So the correct option here is option C, 1, 2, 3 and 4 only. I have given two main questions here for your practice. Interested candidates, write it and post it in the comment section. I will evaluate them. If you have any queries post that also in the comment section and if you like the video, please like, share and comment and do subscribe to the Shankara Ayer's Academy's YouTube channel for further updates. Thank you.